Dr. Baritz, a Dominican nun and economist, presented her new book Summa oeconomiae, which focuses on a human-centred economy. The lecture hall was packed in mid-June at Corvinus for the launch of the book. Many came to hear one of the founders of the Christian Social Principles in Economics (KETEG) programme — who, after joining the Dominican order, also earned degrees in religious education and ethics — speak about what makes an economy humane, environmentally friendly, and sustainable. Dr. Baritz has close ties to Corvinus: she not only teaches at the university but also earned her PhD here. 

Zoltán Szántó, Dean of the Corvinus Institute for Advanced Studies, welcomed the guests and asked Dr. Baritz why she had written the book. “I replace profit maximisation with value creation, because profit is not the goal — creating value is the goal. Psychological research shows that the more a person clings to material goods, the greater their risk of depression. Beyond a certain point, material wealth does not bring happiness. The more and deeper human connections I have, the happier I am. And the aim is human happiness, which can be achieved through a value-creating, environmentally friendly economy,” she said. 

The book has three distinct parts. The first includes 12 essays that follow the logic of St. Thomas Aquinas and cover thought-provoking topics: Is a paradigm shift possible in economic life? Should we pursue growth or not? Can private property be reconciled with the common good? The second part features 14 interviews conducted by Dr. Baritz with business leaders, bank directors, and other economic actors who are open to these ideas. 

For economists and economics students 

The interviewees respond with striking honesty, speaking openly about the challenges of remaining true to their human-centred and sustainability principles in a competitive market. When asked by Dean Szántó who the book is for, Dr. Baritz replied: “For economists and economics students. I want to offer them a way of thinking that can help shape the economy to be more human-centred. I started working on this 20 years ago through the KETEG programme, when human-centredness was still a new idea. Today the concept is becoming more widely known — even ChatGPT knows about it.” 

Among the invited speakers was Ágnes Zsóka, Professor at Corvinus (Department of Sustainability Management and Environmental Economics), who noted that she has been teaching at Corvinus since 1997 along these same principles — sustainability and Christian logic. She believes the case for a human-centred, sustainable economy stands on both Christian and secular (economic) grounds. “My own research shows that happiness correlates with a person’s spiritual state,” she added. 

Zoltán Pogátsa, Associate Professor at the University of Sopron’s Faculty of Economics (and one of the book’s interviewees), was also a guest. He emphasised that Dr. Baritz’s book is important for both the Church and economics. “We’ve become used to the idea that the Church shouldn’t concern itself with worldly matters. But the Church must engage with the world!” He pointed out that while most learn Keynesian economics, capitalism — which strongly emphasises profit as motivation — has existed for only a few decades. In his view, psychology and philosophy cannot be separated from economics; there are no disciplinary boundaries. Psychologists tell us it’s not profit, but love and care that matter. Pogátsa called climate change the greatest failure of humanity, and argued that we rarely reflect on what capitalism really is. “Private property and markets” is the common answer, but he thinks this is inaccurate — growth is the true essence of capitalism, setting it apart from other systems. 

Creating value under competitive pressure 

Melinda Regéczy-Béres, Communications Director at Béres Pharmaceuticals (and one of the book’s most compelling interviewees), stated that the family company’s main aim is to help sick people with their products. “We started with 10 employees, now we have 500. We’ve built world-class knowledge here in Hungary, and our goal is to create value. But I wouldn’t say we have no growth ambitions,” she said. 

It is worth briefly quoting from the interview with Béres from the book, because it’s rare for leaders of companies that meet environmental or ESG goals (or at least give that impression) to speak so frankly. As Marcell Béres, company president, put it: “While we, too, believe it’s important to apply human-centred principles in our business operations, we feel the pressure of having to meet the tough expectations of today’s capitalist, consumer society. Otherwise, competitors will crush us. We have to survive tomorrow.” 

The discussion also touched on private property. According to Dr. Baritz, private property is a “hot topic.” The Church teaches that it is natural for people to want to own property, but what matters is what kind of property. She said that once a person’s true needs are met, they can use their property to serve the common good. She also spoke about the massive global inequality: today, she said, eight people (who could fit into a minivan) own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population. 

Pogátsa highlighted the importance of the sharing economy, using the example of a drill: a single drill shared by a whole building’s residents is plenty, as long as it’s available when needed. 

When asked by the dean where human-centred economics fits in today’s economic culture, Zsóka said that, in her teaching experience, this matters a lot to Generation Z. “Soon, sustainability will be a mandatory part of undergraduate studies. I see, and colleagues tell me the same, that when students realise how these issues affect their future, they become very interested and engaged.” 

The answers vary 

Finally, when asked what we must do for a paradigm shift, the answers varied. The communications director of Béres said we should practice individual responsibility and lead by example. Zsóka said we need to convince those who uphold the structures of the current system, while recognising that people are free and responsible for their actions. Pogátsa stressed that the Church’s action is not abstract — it seeks to improve the world — and said he is deeply influenced by Pope Francis’ thinking. 

It’s no coincidence that recently Francis quoted his predecessor Leo XIII’s encyclical: “The Earth will find rest, justice will prevail, and the poor will rejoice if we live not as predators, but as pilgrims … not consuming the world greedily, but cultivating and caring for it, as the Laudato Si’ encyclical teaches us.” 

The final part of Dr. Baritz’s book features contributions from invited experts on related topics: Buddhist economics, sustainable economy in the Krishna Valley, and how the media can help promote human-centred principles. 

The book was published by Kairosz Publishing. 

Katalin Török